Postpartum Doula services , we offer daytime and nighttime for single babies and we are specialized in multiples, twins and triplets. Daytime includes baby and mother’s care and also home light housekeeping. Night time is only baby and mother’s care. Assistance with breastfeeding and postpartum depression. Rates go from $24 to $28 an hour.

Sleep Traning – If the parents do themselves with my help, I charge for the first sleep phone consultation plus the sleep plan sent though email plus lifetime support $335 plus taxes. The difference between me and other doulas I never charge them again if they need to do all over again when the baby is older. The parents love that. They can call me anytime or email me anytime, I never charge again. The second option and more expensive is if I go and do in their homes. I charge $35 an hour plus taxes.

Babysitting on call for weddings, hotels, homes. Babysitter wages are from $16 to 20 an hour and there is a booking fee of $25 plus taxes each time they go.

Nanny placements are also available.

For more information on services please check out their website at Nannies and Doulas On Call Inc.

Tamara

Become a Nanny Angel Volunteer Be an Angel and join the brilliant team of nannies who are making the battle against breast cancer a little bit easier. Nanny Angels are a group of professional childcare workers who provide quality, compassionate relief childcare to families with a mom diagnosed with breast cancer, currently in treatment or in the early phases of recovery. Angels volunteer their time so that our Angel moms can get some much needed rest, go to appointments or simply have time for themselves knowing their children are in good hands. In order to be considered for a position as one of our Nanny Angel volunteers you must meet the following criteria: One year of experience working with children as a caregiver with the ability to provide references Legal residency status Physically and mentally fit to provide unsupervised care for children Strong communication skills Grade 12 or equivalent We are currently looking for Angels availability in the Durham area. Contact us To become a Nanny Angel contact our Program Manager c.soares@nannyangelnetwork.com Toll Free: 877.731.8866 Fax: 416.730.8963 www.nannyangelnetwork.com Chantelle Soares Program Manager

• Daycare decisions: Finding the right child care arrangement can be overwhelming. Here’s help sorting through your options. Full story here.
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Don’t forget there are great resources and links on Durham Region Daycare for parents and providers.

Name: Moyra Stephen

Family: I have two wonderful sons, aged 30 and 29; my youngest son has cerebral palsy, and was the inspiration for starting Cardinal Nannies and Companions Inc. 23 years ago.

Daycare type & location: Cardinal Nannies is a caregiver placement agency in Whitby. We hire and place nannies for children and caregivers for the elderly and those with special needs throughout Durham Region. We handle requests from families for short term, and long term, part-time and full-time, live-in and live-out care. We place live-in nannies, from Quebec and the Maritimes, or here from overseas on a work permit, anywhere in Canada, and abroad.

How long in business: I started December 1, 1985.

Why did you decide to become a childcare provider?: My personal experience was providing in-home daycare for children. I also volunteered in a hospital with children, the elderly, and with special needs. My professional background was in marketing. Then I had a son with special needs. It was very difficult to find appropriate providers for his care, so that was why I established Cardinal Nannies.

What’s your favourite part of the day?: I enjoy early mornings. I watch the sunrise, and prepare for each new day with curiosity, wondering what will be different about it, and wondering what I will know at the end of the day, that I didn’t know at the beginning.

What do you find most challenging about your job?: I am very mindful of the responsibility I have in placing caregivers in families’ homes, and endeavouring to find the right nanny for each family, and the right family for each nanny.

What makes you unique?: We give each families’ request our personal attention, and we genuinely care about all of the people we meet. I personally interview the nanny applicants and meet many of the families before arranging for them to interview caregivers. Most families choose the first person we send them.

Describe some of the interesting backgrounds of your nannies: I have recruited in England and Ireland and the Caribbean as well as hiring nannies from all over the world. These days many come from the Philippines to make a better life for their children. As a mother, I admire their courage in leaving their family behind to come to a new country and work with our families. Many have been taken advantage of, and some have been mistreated, but they still continue to do their job every day.

Favourite memory as a provider: I appreciate the feedback from a client that we found them the perfect nanny, and their children are happy and well cared for.

If you could change one thing, what would it be?: I wish people could be upfront about what they want, and then it’s easier to help them find it.

She is only able to take four months off from work.

So that means she needs care for an almost-newborn baby, and really soon. Here are the questions her and her husband are debating:

• Do they start looking for care now, or wait until it’s closer to the time they need it?
• The pros and cons of home, centre and nanny care for such a young baby
• Will a newborn be more expensive to car for? If so, how much?

Any advice for her?

I’ve sent her the links from the resource page for parents on the site, which includes great links on questions to ask potential childcare providers, and how to decide what is right for your family.

Personally, I think she should start looking ASAP, as finding care for a baby so young may prove to be difficult when a year or older is far more common. I’d think a nanny would be the best bet, at least for the first few months until the baby is older. Which raises the question of a live-in or live-out person.

Anie’s going to be checking in her for your tips and suggestions, so please leave a comment below for her.

Thanks for sharing your expertise!